Emma Roberts Interview – NANCY DREW

Opening this Friday is “Nancy Drew” and it stars Emma Roberts as the resourceful teen detective. And if the name Roberts sounds familiar… yes, Emma is the niece of Julia.

In the film Emma plays the iconic teenage sleuth and of course she’s stumbled onto a new mystery to solve. Here is the synopsis:

EMMA ROBERTS stars as the resourceful teen detective, who leaves her friendly hometown of RiverHeights for the West Coast and enrolls at HollywoodHigh School. There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living peers, especially reigning fashionistas Inga and Trish, who can’t quite figure her out but know that everything about her is different—from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect picnic lunches and penny loafers. Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not Nancy. She has more important things to think about—namely, a brand new mystery.

Even though she promised her worried Dad (TATE DONOVAN) that she’d quit the “sleuthing” business, it isn’t long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former DraycottMansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have been happening.

While you might not think this film would be a big summer entry, I can see it doing quite well. There are never enough films that cater to families and this is safe for everyone. I’m sure many mothers and daughters will take in “Nancy Drew” this weekend.

As always you can listen to the audio of the roundtable interview by clicking here. It’s an MP3 so it’s easily placed on an iPod or portable player.

I also got to interview Max Thieriot & Josh Flitter (two of Nancy Drew’s friends in the movie) and while I don’t have the time to transcribe it, you can listen to their interview by clicking here.

“Nancy Drew” opens everywhere this Friday.

Question: How are you?

Emma Roberts: Good, how are you?

On the cover of the Los Angeles Times today, how does it feel?

It’s so exciting. I couldn’t believe when I saw the L.A. Times, I was like wow, that’s crazy. And I just having a really good time doing everything and it’s exciting to see everything come together.

Can you talk about what attracted you to doing this project?

I mean, Nancy Drew is such an iconic character and she’s a really, really great character that’s been around for decades so I read the script and I instantly clicked with it and loved the character and loved the whole storyline.

Have you ever read the books?

I didn’t read them when I was younger but a read a few after I got the part.

Can you say something about NancyDrew as compared to yourself?

I mean, we’re both alike in some ways. We’re determined, ambitious, curious but I think she’s much more of a neat freak than I am.

I also read that she’s a bit old-fashioned.

She’s very old-fashioned.

What do you think about her clothes?

Personally I liked going to the set everyday and getting to dress up as her and all the clothes were made one-of-a-kind for the movie by the costume designer Jeffery Kurland which I just thought was really cool that we were using things that nobody else would be wearing just because they were just for us.

I can’t imagine that you were ever in the position of being made fun of by girls at school for what you were wearing or anything.Has anyone ever been mean to you?

I mean, no, no. Luckily I’ve had great school experiences and haven’t had any horror stories, but actually when I was shooting the movie and I was dressed up as her and we were shooting at a real high school and I think a lot of the kids didn’t know we were shooting there so I was walking around and a lot of them were like looking at me and laughing at me.We were at Hollywood High and I was walking to my trailer and these girls were like pointing and laughing at me and I just looked at them and thought that was so rude.Then I turned around and hit my face into one of the trailers.I was really embarrassing.

So what advise would you give to girls who are going through a difficult time at school like that?How should they handle it?

I get asked that question a lot.It’s just so tough because you really can’t do anything about it because wherever you go to school there will always be like cliques and always be those girls do you know what I mean?People who say there aren’t cliques at their school are lying because there are cliques everywhere you know, but I would just say you just have to find a group of friends and try not to let it bother you and don’t feed into it. So, that’s what I would say.

You started really early acting.What did your friends say or react when…

They thought it was really cool.I mean, all my friends have been really supportive of me and they all came with me to the premiere yesterday.I have a really good group of friends so I’m really lucky.

Did you watch any of the older NancyDrew films?

I saw some of the old TV shows that used to be on TV.Now they’re on like the old movie channel, so I watched a few of those because they seemed to be having marathons of those on recently probably because the movie’s coming out.

What was the hardest part of playing NancyDrew?

Probably, I mean, just like getting into the character was really fun but definitely different from anything I’ve ever done.They cut my hair and they dyed it and I went to the set everyday and the hair and makeup was just so different than anything I was used to and the same with the wardrobe but that’s what made it really fun.I don’t think its fun to always play the same character over and over again. You want to do something different.

Who’s your favorite detective in fiction?

Nancy Drew.Honesty, yeah.Apart from Nancy Drew I guess Sherlock Holmes, you know, another cool detective.I think Nancy Drew is so cool because she really is like…when she first came out in the books there weren’t a lot of young teen girls that independent and that sure of themselves and stuff like that at least not in movies and books. There still aren’t many, I can’t think of any. So, I think that’s really cool about her.

Did you keep any of the outfits?

I didn’t, no.I don’t know what they did with them.They were all made for the movie so they probably kept them somewhere.

What was your favorite one out of all the outfits?

I mean, I loved the little pink tweed little dress that I wore on the first day of school with the knee socks. I thought that was really cute.

Have you ever had a party where it’s gotten out of control?

I haven’t.I don’t like throw parties really.I don’t want to get in trouble.

What about slumber parties with your girlfriends?

Yeah, we do that a lot.We go to other people’s parties, but we never really throw parties. We just have our little slumber parties sometimes with a bunch of girls.

What do you do?Watch movies?

We watch movies, we go swimming. We’ll go out the dinner usually like Sushi or something.

What movies do you watch?

Whatever is really out at the time we’ll like go see or rent or something.

I have to ask.Did you follow Heroes last season?

I watched the first few episodes then I stopped watching it because my TiVo broke so I never like watched TV after that.

Did you want to keep up with it?

I did.It’s such a good show.I still try to catch it sometimes but I never know what is going on now.

You have some family on it…

Yeah, my dad is on that show.I thought that was really cool though just because it’s a really good show I mean from what I’ve watched of it.

I’ll of course follow up with now that this film is done I’m sure you have other stuff lined up.Can you talk about some of your future projects?

Yeah, I’m going to England actually in like a week and a half to start shooting a new movie called Wild Child.It’s like totally opposite Nancy Drew so I’m really excited for it.It’s for a working title and it’s about kind of out of control Malibu princess who gets shipped off to boarding school in England.She goes through a whole journey over there and it’s really funny.

What sort of bad things do you get up to in boarding school then?

She gets shipped to boarding school because she doesn’t really listen to her dad and she kind of just does what she wants to do when she wants to do it and she very like sassy and then she gets to boarding school and doesn’t want to abide by any of the rules so it gets her into some trouble.

It must have been like every girl’s dream to play against JohnnyDepp.

Yeah.

Did you get any tips or tricks from him?

I mean I was so young when I worked with him I didn’t even realize I was working with one of the greatest actors on the earth.I was like he’s cool, you know, I was 9 or 10, then Pirates of the Caribbean came out and I was like “oh my God”.

Have you run into him since?

Yeah.I’ve seen him a little bit but not too much because obviously he’s very, very busy and so am I so but he was such a cool guy.

What actors would you like to work with in the future?

I love Drew Barrymore.I would love to work with her. I really like Angelina Jolie and Reese Witherspoon.I would love to work with a bunch of those people.I love to just work with new people in general.It’s always really fun.

I love dark chocolate. I love it.I don’t like vegetables at all, but I love Sushi.I’m obsessed with Sushi.

What’s the key to staying grounded?

My friends and my family keep me grounded and none of them treat me any differently now that I’m acting or anything.It’s cool because a lot of my friends are kind of either they’re in the business or their families are kind of in the business so it’s not really like oh my God to them which is good and they understand how busy I am, you know. Because it’s hard when you’re always busy and your friends are like why don’t you ever hang out and stuff like that.

So what do you miss having time for at the moment?

My friends.I’m really sad because I’m leaving all summer to go to England but I’m so excited for the movie, but you know to leave all my friends and stuff like that but I’ll see them when I get back.

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Do you go to a normal school?

No, I’m home-schooled.I went to normal school up until 7th grade then 8th, 9th and 10th I’ve been home-schooled.

NancyDrew has a kissing scene in this movie.Are love scenes embarrassing?

It was a little embarrassing but you know it was ok.After like after the 10th time you’re just like ok, same old.

What type of guys do you like?

I don’t know. I don’t really have a type of guy I like.It’s just like nice guys, cute boys I mean, ones that are funny.

I believe there’s been talk about a sequel for this.

Yeah.

Are you gung-ho for that?

Yeah, I think it would be so much fun to get to play her all over again and have a new set of cute clothes and a new mystery to solve.

What was it like working with BruceWillis?I’m sure it was only a day or two.

Yeah it was fun.I’ve know him before because I know his kids so it was cool to get to work with him. They were like he’s going to do a cameo in it and I was like that’s awesome.

Do you have a favorite BruceWillis film?

Um, I have to think.I can’t think of one in particular.He’s just a great guy.He’s a nice guy and he’s an amazing actor.His new movie looks pretty good.

What about the driving scenes?How were they for you and do you have your driver’s license?

I don’t have my license. I have my permit and I did not drive in the movie.

Did you do your own stunts?

No, I had a stunt double.

What car do you want when you have your license?

I don’t know what kind of car I want. I’ve been thinking about that but I really like Range Rovers but I’m probably not going to get one.I like the Torague or however you say it.It looks like a dragon, that’s such a cute car.

What about a Prius?

A Prius, yes.I like the Lexus Hybrid. It’s actually a cool car, my friend has it so I like that one.

Touching on fashion again, what’s the most embarrassing thing in your wardrobe?

Embarrassing?

Yeah, do you have anything or anything you’ve worn in the past and you’re like oh my God I can’t believe.

I think everyone from…I remember in elementary school was cool to rip up your shirts and tie them on the sides and that’s embarrassing but I try not to wear anything too embarrassing. I don’t know.

What’s your favorite thing in your wardrobe then at the moment?

I’ve gotten a lot of cute dresses lately from this designer named Allison Olivia and they make all these sequence dresses and as you can see I’m like very into sequence. So I have like a few of those that I haven’t worn them yet. I’m trying to find out where I can wear them because I just love them.They’re so cute.So, probably all my sequin dresses and my leopard shoes.

Are you really serious about having a fashion line in the future?

Yeah, I’d like to when I’m older.I think that would really be fun to design clothes and shoes and handbags.

I was going to ask you how often do you read scripts?Are you at that stage…do you have help?

Scripts get sent to my manger then he reads them and if he ….he knows what I like and what we both like and he’ll give me the ones he thinks I’ll like and I’ll read them.I’ve been reading a lot lately and there’s a few that I like that I hope to do in the near future.

Are you already thinking about the project after going to England?

Yeah.I am.I’m like what am I going do?

Has it been with this….Nancy Drew with you being the lead in the film, has it opened up a lot more doors for more people wanting to have meetings with you and talk about future projects?

I mean, yeah, I think so.I think whenever any actor has a movie where it’s kind of mostly about them like of course more people want to meet with them and see what’s going on.A lot of people are loving the movie which is good to hear and that makes people want to send me more scripts, I guess or something like that.

Do you think you will be in the future in a film with your aunt?

I think that would be really fun.I think it would be cool to do that.I like when you see families work together, I think it’s really cute.

How involved is your dad in your acting career?

He’s not really involved.It’s mostly like kind of my manger and me and my mom, but I get to decide if I like something.Nobody’s going to make me do something I don’t want to do.So that’s really good.

Is there something you really don’t want to do?A part?

I’m open to doing whatever.I want to play a bunch of different roles and I’m not like going to say I won’t do this, you know, because that kind of limits yourself and I’m trying to keep an open mind and just see what comes to me.

It seems like you have a lot of talents. You sing and write as well.Do you have any plans for making an album or something like that?

I don’t know.Right now I’m just kind of focusing on movies.That’s kind of mainly what I want to do.

Do you sometimes write songs?

I write, but I don’t really do anything with it.I just do it for fun.

Do you write lyrics or …?

Yeah, song lyrics.

What are they about?

I don’t know just random stuff.I think it’s just fun to write and you know I never really thought I’d do that but it’s just fun.Just kind of like a journal I guess.

What bands are you listening to now?

I really like The Veronica’s.I like Taylor Swift.I like Avril Lavigne, Gwen Steffani.

We touched on parties before.What’s the best party you’ve ever been to?

Well, all my friends are having Sweet 16’s this year because we’re all turning 16 so I’ve been to a lot of fun Sweet 16’s.

What makes the best party?

It’s hard to explain it.Mostly when there’s a lot of people there it’s really fun and I think all of us have had at our Sweet 16’s a photo booths and it’s always fun to like go into the photo booth with a bunch of friends.All of us have done it and the old-fashioned ones with the strip, so we all go in there and do the photo booths and it’s so much fun.

That’s a memory.

Yeah.

What’s your opinion on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16?

It’s entertaining television.

I guess my question is would you ever allow yourself to be on that program?

No.I would feel like too self-conscious like someone filming my whole entire Sweet 16 and if something went wrong everybody would see it and I think it’s too over the top.It sounds like fun to watch. It’s a fun show.

What do you watch on TV?

I love America’s Next Top Model.I just love that show, I really do.And I love Lost.I’m obsessed with Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.Grey’s Anatomy is probably the greatest show. I don’t know if you guys watched it or saw the season finale but it was pretty amazing.So, those are probably my 3 favorite shows.

I was going to ask you, did you see the finale of Lost?

I did.

And what do you think about what could be happening on that show?

You know, I don’t even know but I’m just really upset that by the time the next season comes around I’m going to be 17 and I can’t wait that long.But I just love that show.I don’t know I think it’s one of the best shows on television.

You mentioned you have actors you’d like to work with.What about younger actors—people younger than JohnnyDepp?

Like my age?

Well, like 20-something’s.More Orlando Bloom kind of age.

Yeah, I love Orlando Bloom. I like Orlando Bloom a lot.I really like Shiloh Buff, I think he’s a great actor. I’d like to work with him.I think it would be fun to work with a young cast like girls and guys.It’s always fun like in Nancy Drew, it’s always fun to get work with people your age because you know you can hang out and it’s kind of like you all go to school together when you’re working and I loved doing that.I’m excited for the next movie Wild Child just because it’s like a really young cast. So it’s fun.

Actually can I ask who else is in the movie with you?

We don’t know yet for sure.We’re kind of figuring all that out right now which they’re finishing that up because I went to England a couple of weeks ago and read with a bunch of people and now they’re just deciding.

Is it going to mostly a UK cast?

Yeah.Almost everyone in the film is British except for me and then of course in the very beginning when I’m in L.A. a few people.

What do you think of England quickly?

I loved it.It’s really cool there. I had so much fun.I was only there for a couple of days when I was reading with people but it was so much fun.Great shopping, beautiful cities.London was amazing.

You mentioned you have friends who are in the industry.Do you try to find a project with your friends to do for the future or are you trying to?

I haven’t really but I think of course it would be really fun.Also you make friends with people you work with.In Aquamarine, Sara and JoJo became friends of mine and I see Sara all the time.Actually it was weird.I ran into JoJo yesterday here.She was walking out when I was walking in.It was the weirdest thing ever.So, yeah, it’s fun to make friends when you’re working and I hope I get to work with people more than once.

Does it make it easier when someone like JoJo to have another famous friend so they understand what you’re going through?

Yeah, I mean, I don’t like try to chose just friends who are in the business or friends that aren’t in the business but I mean, it’s a little bit easier when they are just because when you’re busy they really do understand.Some of my friends they think I’m blowing them off but I’m like no, I just really, really busy. But both is good.It’s a good mixture.

So do you email all the time when you’re away.

Yeah, I’m always on my Blackberry texting.Yeah, so I like to keep in touch with them.

Do you have big bills on your mobile?

I don’t go crazy on it but I like to keep in touch with my friends just because you know, I’m away from them for long periods of time and I miss them.

Do you believe in ghosts and spooky stuff?

I do. I absolutely do.

Have you ever seen a ghost or anything?

I haven’t but I totally believe in it.Why not.

Do you read your horoscope?

I read my horoscope every day.

What are you and are you typical of your star sign?

I am a typical Aquarius, yes.

In what way?

I mean, just I’m like outgoing and I read my horoscope a lot and Yahoo Astrology. Go there, I’m not even kidding.It’s right every day.It’s always right.It’s really scary.

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